Much of the visual, auditory, and olfactory imagery in the story evokes springtime: rain showers, twittering bird, blue skies, etc. Chopin uses this imagery to suggest the optimism of renewal, a new season, which Louise experiences after learning the news of her husband’s death.
"Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body...."See in text(The Story of an Hour)
The beating of her pulse and blood coursing through her body are examples of kinesthetic imagery that help convey the heightened state in which this epiphany about personal freedom takes hold of her.
"creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air...."See in text(The Story of an Hour)
Chopin again employs imagery in order to emphasize the power of this moment. The unknown feeling approaches her physically—visual imagery such as "creeping" and "reaching" convey the slow, yet steady, approach. The references to the sky, the sounds, the scents, and the color of the air harken back to the springtime imagery from a couple paragraphs earlier. This is Louise's moment of renewal.
"She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life...."See in text(The Story of an Hour)
In contrast to the storm metaphor earlier, notice the optimistic springtime imagery in this paragraph. The “delicious breath of rain” is both an olfactory and gustatory image evoking the smell or “taste” of rain in the air. The “countless sparrows” twittering is an auditory image, and the “patches of blue sky” showing through the clouds are visual. All of these examples of imagery suggest a moment of positive change that seems at odds with the news Louise has just received.
